Heroy last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Heroy is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Heroy.

Meaning of Heroy

A variant spelling of the French surname 'Hérou', meaning "hero" or "champion".

Heroy, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Heroy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Heroy in America

Heroy is the 101737th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Heroy surname appeared 177 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Heroy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Heroy to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

20102000Change (%)
Rank101737938418.07%
Count177181-2.23%
Proportion per 100k0.060.07-15.38%

The history of the last name Heroy

The surname HEROY has its origins in France, dating back to the early 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "heroi," which means a brave or heroic person. This name was likely given to individuals who displayed exceptional courage or bravery in battles or other significant events.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HEROY can be found in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres, a medieval manuscript from the 12th century, which mentions a person named Robertus Heroy. This suggests that the name was already in use during that time period in the northern regions of France.

In the 13th century, the name HEROY appeared in various historical documents, including the Livre des Bourgeois de Reims, a registry of citizens in the city of Reims. This record mentions a certain Jehan Heroy, who was a prominent merchant and landowner in the area.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any references to the surname HEROY. However, it is possible that individuals with this name migrated to England at a later period.

One notable figure bearing the HEROY surname was Jacques Heroy, a French mathematician and astronomer born in 1592 in Normandy. He made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and was appointed as the Royal Professor of Mathematics in Paris.

Another individual of historical importance was Etienne Heroy, a French architect who lived during the 16th century. He was renowned for his work on several notable buildings, including the Château de Chenonceau, one of the most remarkable examples of Renaissance architecture in France.

In the 17th century, there was a prominent family named HEROY in the region of Picardy, France. One member, Nicolas Heroy, born in 1635, was a respected lawyer and served as a judge in the local parliament.

The surname HEROY can also be found in various place names throughout France, such as Heroville, a small commune in the department of Eure-et-Loir, and Herouville, a town located in the Normandy region.

While the surname HEROY is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of France's rich cultural heritage, reflecting the bravery and valor of its ancestors.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Heroy

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Heroy.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Heroy was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only93.22%165
Non-Hispanic Black Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only0.00%0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races(S)%(S)
Hispanic Origin3.95%7

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Heroy has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White93.22%92.82%0.43%
Black(S)%0.00%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander0.00%(S)%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%0.00%(S)%
Two or More Races(S)%(S)%(S)%
Hispanic3.95%6.08%-42.47%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Heroy was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Heroy, please contact us.

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